How They Shine
by Hollywoodx4
Summary: Abigail has a splendid dream of the life that could have been... (basically, fluffy domestic Samigail for your feels)


How They Shine

She awoke to the smell of pancakes and stretched, unwilling to open her eyes although the tantalizing scent seemed to be calling for her. Abigail pushed the messy strands of her glossy brown hair from her face and smiled softly; she could hear tiny, muffled footsteps making their way toward her room. Before she could say anything two light shapes had piled themselves on top of her, the first easier than the second. She laughed and grasped at the forms, bringing them to her in a tight hug. They responded with light giggles that only children seem to be able to produce.

The first was taller, leaner in a way. She had hair matching Abigail's, hers falling a bit below her shoulder-bones in soft waves. She was still in her pajamas, a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that hung loose around her tiny frame. Her laughter was bell-like and boisterous, and she tried desperately to wriggle herself free from Abigail's grasp. The latter simply laughed and held her closer, kissing the top of her head. In this realm, she knew that the girl was called Ellie.

She continued to play as a smaller form piled its way onto her, and she began to tickle him. He was a bit pudgy, still at almost two years old from what she assumed. His hair was stuck up from sleep, and as he attempted to maneuver around her his deep brown eyes sparkled with love. His name, she recalled, was Charlie.

The smell of pancakes grew stronger and soon Abigail could not fight her hungry stomach any longer. She sighed and shifted her weight on the bed so that the children would let her up, and they followed her down the stairs in what was almost a blissful rampage. Ellie, the older, gave up on guiding Charlie safely down the stairs and had bolted ahead, trying to get to the food first. Initially he whined at this, holding his hand out so that Abigail was to take it next. He then laughed as Ellie skidded around the corner, the sounds of her light footsteps echoing throughout the house. Abigail thought it was funny; she'd never been in this house and yet everything seemed so familiar, so cozy to her. She felt more at home here than in her own home.

She turned the corner with the little boy in tow and was met with another taunting aroma-bacon. She sighed and took in the smell, sitting at the counter and bringing the boy to sit with her as well. Ellie was jumping around the room, bare feet making clicking sounds as they hit the tile. She finally found her way next to Abigail, slouching over the counter before looking at her. She fixed herself hastily, wanting to look like Abigail, who laughed lightly at the sight. The little girl pushed her hair from her face, feigning exhaustion.

"Daddy," She sighed, returning to the same slouching position. "When will breakfast be done?"

"Almost there, darling." Abigail froze, looking on either side of herself at the two children she remembered waking up to. She knew the voice that had just spoken, had memorized it like the back of her hand. "I just need to finish the bacon."

Sammy stood at the stove, transferring the last few pieces of meat from the sauté pan to a plate. He wore sweatpants and a tank top, his feet bare. He hated any sort of socks or slippers, she remembered, so seeing him without them was merely commonplace. The entire thing seemed common, she realized, although a small part of her still felt eighteen and in school.

Sammy maneuvered his cooking with delicate speed, as if he had been doing this his entire life. He turned with two full plates, humming as he set them down in front of the kids.

"One for my smelly Ellie," She crinkled her tiny nose at him and he mirrored her, grinning as he teased her. He set the second plate down in front of the boy. "One for little Char,"

"And one for my Abbi." She smiled softly at him in thanks and he set a full plate in front of her, pausing to wrap his arms around her waist. She felt him rest his chin on her shoulder before turning his head, his lips making their way to her cheek as she felt the familiar electric spark that came along with him. "Good morning."

She smiled back at him and leaned into his embrace, tilting her head so that it was touching his lightly. They were both grinning from ear to ear, watching as the children devoured their breakfast.

It hit her.

Ellie and Charlie were hers, _theirs. _She awoke in the bed she shared with Sammy, walked down the stairs in the house they had bought together after months of searching for the perfect one. The weight on her left hand increased. Looking down she saw three rings; one was simpler, made to look like a simple knot. The second boasted a beautiful diamond in its center, and the third a line of them making up the circumference of the ring. Each one seemed foreign, distant to her. At the same time, however, she knew all three of them as if she'd been wearing them for years.

Suddenly, Abigail was knowledgeable of everything she'd found so confusing when she'd woken up; She hadn't gotten into the company, and she'd been alright with it. After third year, she and Sammy spent their time checking off the bucket list she'd made, occasionally adding small, silly things to it. She remembered the days they'd look at the list and laugh with each other, wondering how they were ever going to complete it.

The vision of her swelling stomach was the next to dance through her head, and she felt that same pull in her heart as she wondered what they were going to do. Abigail saw him hugging her, tearful as he began to talk about all of the things they could do with their first child, how excited he was to have her in his life. She saw Ellie's first steps, her first word and how she was always slightly jealous that it had been 'daddy' and not 'mum.' She then caught sight of Charlie, of Ellie meeting him for the first time and getting so excited that she bonked noses with him while attempting to kiss him. She saw everything flash before her, returning to the scene in the kitchen and Sammy's warm arms, the aroma of pancakes and the chatter of their children.

She woke in a cold bed, surrounded by a gaggle of her peers. They were sprawled on the floor, Kat and Tara sharing the bed next to her. Abigail remembered what had happened the day before, why everybody was there, and pulled the covers back over her eyes, wanting nothing but the life she'd dreamt of, the life she now knew she couldn't have.


End file.
